Matched or Mismatched Environments? The Relationship of Family and School Differentiation to Adolescents' Psychosocial Adjustment
Brenda J. Lohman1*,
Shelby A. Kaura1,
and
Barbara M. Newman2
1 Iowa State University
2 University of Rhode Island
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: blohman{at}iastate.edu.
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Abstract |
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This study applies the family-systems concept of differentiation (the balance of autonomy-granting and connectedness) to another primary system of adolescent development--school. This study assessed the relationships among levels of family and school differentiation to the externalizing and internalizing behaviors, peer group membership, and academic achievement of 693 middle and high school students. High levels of family and school differentiation were correlated with all measures of well-being. Individuals in the low-low matched differentiation group had the lowest academic achievement, whereas individuals in the high-high matched differentiation group had the highest academic achievement. Students in the mismatched group, who had high differentiation with parents, but low differentiation with school, had lower grade point averages, higher school absences, and higher disciplinary actions than those in the mismatched group with high school differentiation and low parent differentiation.
